Diocese of Amelia

The Diocese of Amelia comprises seven towns in the province of Perugia, Italy, and is under the immediate jurisdiction of the Holy See. The Christian origin of this Umbrian mountain town is wrapped in mystery. The Bishopric of Amelia appears on the pages of history relatively late. Ughelli mentions an Orthodolphus, Bishop, about the year 344. He mentions also Stephen, of whom there is no trace in history. Flavius, Bishop of Amelia, seems to have been present at a synod held at Rome, 14 November, 465, by Pope Hilary. Ughelli goes on to enumerate Tiburtius, Martinianus, and then a Sallustino present at a synod held in 502 under Pope Symmachus. Still further according to Ughelli, in the fifth century there was a Bishop of Amelia by name Sincerus. The Bollandists, however, show that the date of his episcopate is uncertain; there is question even of his very existence (June, III, 17). A Bishop of Amelia still appears in 649 at the provincial synod held by Pope Martin at the Lateran. The city of Amelia had great political importance during the eighth century, when between the opposition of the iconoclast Byzantine emperors and the conquering Lombard power in the centre of Italy the temporal power of the popes grew from day to day. There are 20 parishes, 31 secular priests, 43 regular priests, 78 churches and chapels. The population is 19,500.

UGHELLI, Italia Sacra (Venice, 1722); CAPPELLETTI, Le chiese d'Italia (Venice, 1866); GAMS, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae (Ratisbon, 1873); EROLI, Scavi d'Amelia (Rome, 1881).

ERNESTO BUONAIUTI